Sleep problems and associated daytime fatigue in community-dwelling older individuals.
BACKGROUND
Reported fatigue has been identified as a component of frailty. The contribution of nighttime sleep quality (duration and complaints) to fatigue symptoms in community-dwelling older adults has not been evaluated.


METHODS
We studied 2264 men and women, aged 75-84 years (mean 77.5 years; standard deviation [SD] 2.9), participating in the Year 5 (2001--2002) clinic visit of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study. Fatigue was determined using a subscale of the Modified Piper Fatigue Scale (0-50; higher score indicating higher fatigue). Hours of sleep per night, trouble falling asleep, waking up during the night, and waking up too early in the morning were assessed using interviewer-administered questionnaires.


RESULTS
The average fatigue score was 17.7 (SD 8.4). In multivariate models, women had a 3.8% higher fatigue score than men did. Individuals who slept < or = 6 hours/night had a 4.3% higher fatigue score than did those who slept 7 hours/night. Individuals with complaints of awakening too early in the morning had a 5.5% higher fatigue score than did those without these complaints. These associations remained significant after multivariate adjustment for multiple medical conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
The association between self-reported short sleep duration (< or = 6 hours), and waking up too early and fatigue symptoms suggests that better and more effective management of sleep behaviors may help reduce fatigue in older adults.
Goldman
Suzanne E
SE
Department of Neurology, Sleep Disorders Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1301 Medical Center Drive, Room B-727, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. suzanne.e.goldman@vanderbilt.edu
Ancoli-Israel
Sonia
S
Boudreau
Robert
R
Cauley
Jane A
JA
Hall
Martica
M
Stone
Katie L
KL
Rubin
Susan M
SM
Satterfield
Suzanne
S
Simonsick
Eleanor M
EM
Newman
Anne B
AB
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013714:Tennessee / Q000453:epidemiology